A Return to Freddy's [Mira-Charma13 and Wolfietheh

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"If you ask nicely, Blu might agree to give you lessons," Bonnie revealed, trying to get rid of a minuscule stain on the body of his guitar. "You don't want lessons from me even though I'm better. I'm not that patient with amateurs." "You're just not patient in general," Chica quipped, her pink optics fixed with apparent fascination on the pages of Freddy's book. "It's why you're such an awful cook." The purple rabbit sniffed, reaching up to scratch at one of his ears. "Yeah, whatever. Cooking's boring, anyway."

Freddy chuckled, the sound low, deep, and surprisingly pleasant. "I will not stop him if he truly desires to see what is hidden within the box. If we prevent him from satiating that curiosity, it will only grow...until it becomes an unbearable cancerous blight in his mind. But he must be made aware that there may be consequences for his curiosity. What is the saying, again?" The bear quietly turned a page. "Curiosity killed the cat?" "Well, let's try not to kill anyone, okay?" Chica patted him on the shoulder. "Besides, I don't think Mari is the killing type. Not anymore, at least. He got what he wanted." "Yes, and so did we," Freddy murmured rather cryptically, keeping his voice low.

"Aye." Foxy was more than happy to melt into the hug, his expression calm, but still conflicted. "We're both in sorry shape, lass. Jus' the most broken-down crew o' pirates to ev'r sail th' seven seas. But the Cap'n...he be in better shape. So...if tha' new lass makes a mistake, it won' affect me as much. So I'm gonna go first." He scratched the side of his neck with the sharp end of his hook. "The privateers in management...they bin thinkin' bout bringin' Ol' Foxy back." He motioned to the newly-constructed Pirate Cove with his hand. "Otherwise, they wouldn't 'a built this here Cove. They woulda just thrown me in the brig."

The deceptively plain box in the corner remained motionless. Oh, there was no doubt in the world that its silent occupant knew that he had company...but it seemed like he simply wasn't willing to show his face. Not yet, at least. After a few moments, the constant thumping on the floor appeared to have finally gotten to the hidden puppet. The rusted handle of the box moved forward a bit, creaking all the while, and then quickly moved back.

If the coyote really wanted to satisfy his curiosity, all he had to do was wind the box.
 
Riley gave Dusty a pleading look, whimpering softly, the grey wolf rolled her eyes and watched the rabbit slowly make his way over to the toys. She then turned back around and walked over to Freddy, Chica and Bonnie, taking a seat on their stage, "Kyle isn't one to give up, so I normally let him do his own thing and laugh if it was something stupid, he doesn't like to listen all that much unless he agrees with it." She gave a sigh, "Well, unless he agrees with it or you hit him. Either way he's a pain to deal with when he's got his mind sat on something." She muttered something under her breath and watched Riley, she wanted to be able to step in should Bonbon try anything.

Riley slowly made his way over to the three, keeping his gave on the floor, Tia noticed him first and tilted her head to the side, "Hey there, watcha doin' over here?" She asked, jumping off the stage to land in front of the brown bunny. Riley scratched the back of his neck as his light purple eyes darted from Tia to Bonbon, "W-Well I was wondering if Blu would help teach me how to play better... If you want to that is I-I won't force you to..." He dropped his eyes to the floor and kicked at it. His ears lowering slightly.

Mangle gave a soft growl, "They-ey bett-etter bring yo-you back. You're the-the great-est pi-pirate to ev-ever sa-il the sev-even sea-eas." She pulled away to look over at Dusty, her ear twitching a few times, Tangle nudged the fox and made her look at it, blinking as the head made a few scratchy sounds only she seemed to understand, "A-Aye, she-e does se-seam like-ike a go-od ani-ni-matronic-ic." Tangle made an odd sound and Mangle replied by making the same sound before looking back over at Foxy. Her ear twitching again.

Kyle thought for a moment before moving forward and grabbing the handle, starting to wind it. The music made his ears twitch, it was... Creepy...

To say the least.

But he was curious and wanted to see if the Marionette would came out and say hi.

Or just kill him, that worked too.
 
Freddy made a noncommittal humming noise, moving to turn another page. Chica shot out a hand to stop him, her owlishly wide eyes focused on the page. "Wait! I'm not finished yet." "I'm very sorry," the bear apologized, removing his hand from the page. "I suppose I was too hasty." When Dusty moved to sit on the stage, Bonnie shuffled over more to give her space. While he didn't mind being touched like Freddy and Foxy did, he wasn't too keen on getting all up close and comfortable with someone he barely knew. While the chicken eagerly finished reading, Freddy tore his blue eyes from the page to meet Dusty's gaze. "Curiosity can be both a good and a bad thing. I would suggest that when you see your friend next, you warn him to stay away from the basement at all costs. I know it may be tempting, but that is absolutely forbidden territory."

"Yeah, um..." Bonnie rolled his shoulders nervously. "It's not a pleasant place. Not to mention, if Golden catches you down there, he might rip you apart piece by piece." Chica shuddered, at last reaching forward to turn the page herself. "You know, I like Golden and all...but it really is better if he stays away from us. At least for a little while. He's got, um...more important things to do than come and hang out with us."

In typical Fred fashion, the round bear took a few steps backward when Riley approached. In an attempt to avoid talking to the newcomer, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the back room, eager to fetch his old microphone. Bonbon chuckled, skillfully spinning his prized guitar around in his hands. "You want lessons, huh?" His tone was downright jovial. "And what, dare I ask, makes you think you're worthy enough?" He took a couple of steps backward and then plopped down onto the stage, bringing his left leg up and crossing it over his right. "Play me something special," he demanded, his ears bouncing curiously. "I'll judge your skill level."

The chiming music that first emanated from the box was soft and somewhat soothing. It grew louder with each turn of the handle. So loud, in fact, that it leaked out into the main room. Foxy, with his super-sharp hearing, was the first to notice, his ears twitching with surprise. "Oi..." The red fox tilted his head to the right, his luminous golden eyes squinting themselves into narrow slits. "Ain't that Mari's music?" He growled, jumping to his feet. "Hey! Ye big brown palooka!" Freddy lifted his head a bit from his spot on the stage. Apparently, this was a name the fox often used for him. "Yes?" Foxy brandished his hook at him. "Some cur be messin' with the black devil's music box!" Freddy waved him off. "Everything will be fine," he assured the pirate. "Just calm down." Foxy snorted, flopping back over onto the soft seats in the treasure trove. "These landlubbers. Too nosy fer their own good!"

A full minute passed, and the music aside, there was no activity in the parts and services room. Then, abruptly, the music ground to a halt...and it changed. An unnerving and slightly scratchy version of Pop Goes the Weasel! exploded out of the box. Right before its finale, the lid of the box flew open. A startlingly tall and thin figure popped out, arms in the air. The Marionette was a strange-looking fellow, much different than the other resident animatronics. He scanned the room rapidly, his small head swinging around as he did so...and he eventually came face-to-face, inches away, from the coyote. For what seemed like an eternity, the lanky puppet was still as a statue and said nothing.

"...Oh." The voice that echoed from the Marionette was soft, icy, and rather velvety. "You are not a child."
 
Dusty gave a soft chuckle at the two, shaking her head before laying back on the stage, closing her eyes and humming slightly as she absentmindedly fiddled with the bandages on her arms.

Riley thought of what to play for a moment, plucking absentmindedly at the strings before sighing, "O-Okay..." He tried to remember the tune of the song, the night guard at the last restaurant the three had been listened to it all the time, it was something along the lines of 'Check yes Juliet'? That might've been it. He couldn't remember the name of the band though, something about kings.

The rabbits gave a sigh and after making sure it was tuned right began to play, one hand dancing along the neck of the bass to make sure it produced the right sound while the other strummed along to the beat. His metallic tongue stuck out of his mouth as he concentrated, humming along slightly.

Tia clapped her hands together, leaning over to Bonbon, "He's got potential ya know, I think you should teach him something."

Dusty had sat back up when Foxy had called over to Freddy, at first glancing over at Riley had was now playing the chorus of his song before looking over at Freddy, she could hear the sound of the music box under Riley's playing, "Great, Kyle is doing something stupid, how am I not surprised... Also..." She looked at Freddy with a confused look, but it was obvious she was holding back laughter, "did he call you a palooka?"

Kyle jumped back and let out a surprised squeak, blinking up at the Marionette with wide eyes, "Heh, yeah, I'm not a child..." he muttered, "And uhh, you aren't killing me, right now, so that's nice... Please don't kill me."
 
The blue rabbit grumbled under his breath, flicking an ear with annoyance. "Do I have to?" he whined, much like a spoiled toddler. Bonbon wasn't much better than his larger predecessor when it came to being patient...but at least he wasn't an outright threat to Riley. When Bonbon got angry, he would whine, complain, and stomp around like a toddler having a temper tantrum. When Bonnie got angry, he started throwing punches and putting people in headlocks. In this instance, the spoiled baby was a far better option.

"...You don't have to..." Fred slowly emerged from behind the stage, clutching a freshly-polished microphone in his hands. "But it would be nice if you did." Bonbon blew a raspberry, rolling his large eyes. "Since when have I ever been nice?" "Oi!" From across the room, Foxy pointed his hook at the sulking rabbit, clearly threatening him with a thrashing. "Quit yer bullyin', ye scallywag! It be against th' code o' conduct! The Cap'n'll come over there an' keellhaul ye if ye keep it up!" Bonbon wilted under his smoldering glower, raising his arms in surrender. "Okay, okay! Cool it down, Captain Morgan."

Foxy, Freddy, Golden, and the Marionette were the only animatronics that the skinny rabbit actually feared. Foxy could be extremely scary when he wanted to be. He also had an infamously poor temper. His horrible temper, in fact, was the reason behind his being decommissioned and removed from service in the first place...

He kicked the air, a surly aura washing over him. "You're okay, kid. But you have to play faster. And you've gotta learn our songs if you wanna play with us." ...Which meant that at some point, the brown rabbit would have to consult Bonnie as well as his Toy counterpart. "It's almost time for us to head back to the parts and services room, so we'll start your lessons another night. I don't wanna start anything when we've got so little time, you know? It's not worth it." "Oh...we're going back soon?" Fred glanced down at his microphone, rolling it around in his hands. "I guess I'd better put this back, then."

Bonnie sputtered, trying his hardest to hold back laughter. Chica giggled loudly. Freddy just sighed, the slightest hints of a smile dancing on his lips. "Foxy and I...do not always see eye to eye. He is a wild child and I am the one who enforces the rules, so we bump heads often. He has many different names for me, some of which are worse than others." "Like Yogi bear..." Bonnie drawled, laughter seeping into his voice. "Scuuuuuuurvy dog," Chica added in her best pirate accent, bringing her hands up over her mouth. "Picaroon..." "Shark bait..." "Son of a biscuit eater..." "Powder monkey..." "Dough boy!" Freddy pulled the foulest of faces. "I take that last one personally," he murmured, his ears drooping slightly.

The Marionette clicked his tiny mechanical tongue before sinking back down into his box. He propped his elbows up on one edge of the box, one hand pressed against his cheek and the other dangling down toward the floor. "I should reprimand you for poking your nose where it ought not to be," he hummed thoughtfully, studying the new face curiously, "...but I suppose it is only natural for one to be inquisitive about their new surroundings. So you are off the hook this time around." His head tilted somewhat to the left. A moment later, he offered the coyote one of his spindly hands. "I am the Marionette. And you are?"
 
Riley jumped when Foxy yelled at Blu, he let out a surprised yelp and darted behind the closest person. Who happened to be Tia. The chicken looked momentarily confused before realising that the bunny was probably just as jumpy as Fred, she sighed and coaxed the bunny out from his hiding spot, giving a small giggle when she succeeded, "You're jumpier then Fred."

Riley looked down and scuffed his feat on the floor, his ears perked up though when Bonbon agreed to teach him, he gave a shy smile, "W-Wait really? Thanks!" He practically skipped over to Dusty who was laughing at Bonnie and Chica.

"Alright, c'mon don't bully poor ol' Freddy here, Foxy seems to do that enough with all these nicknames the poor bear has." She shook her head, her ears perking up as Riley came back over to them, "it's okay Freddy, he's just jealous of your amazing bow tie."

Riley tilted his head to the side, "Wait, what did I miss? Why are we talking about bow ties? What's going on, I'm confused!" Dusty laughed at the dwarf bunny and ruffled his hair, making him squeak and swat her hand away.

Kyle let out a surprised chuckle, "Okay, glad you aren't killing me, I don't need that right now. Oh, and uh, my name's Kyle." He took the hand he was offered and shook it, then he stood up and dusted himself off.
 
"I'm not jumpy!" Fred protested, who was just barely poking his head out of the backstage room. Foxy's bout of shouting unnerved him more than he was willing to admit. "I'm just...well, I'm a little shy, okay?" "Yeah, yeah..." Bonbon grinned mischievously. "You keep telling yourself that, big guy." With a loud grunt, the blue bunny launched himself off of the stage, sauntering toward the backstage room. "And get a move on. I've gotta put my baby away." Not wanting to square up with the moody rabbit, Fred was eager to shuffle aside and make room for him. The bear rejoined Tia on their new stage, heaving a great sigh. "Do we have to go back to that room and be deactivated again?" He sounded frightened. "I...I don't want to wake up and learn that another twenty years have passed."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Bonbon emerged from the backstage room with a noticeable swagger in his step. "We were put somewhere else when they moved us from our old place, remember? The others couldn't get to us even if they wanted to. But now that we're all together, I don't think they'll let anything happen to us." He sat down on Fred's other side, brushing mournfully at his dirty fur. "Right, Tia?"

"We're not bullying him!" Bonnie puffed his chest out with annoyance. "We're just playing!" "Sorry if we hurt your feelings, Freddy," Chica apologized, patting him on the arm. "No, no--I'm all right," he assured them, a smile on his face. "I have been called those names so many times that they don't even affect me anymore. Well..." He shifted uncomfortably. "Except for that last one, of course." He said nothing on the matter of his bow tie, but he did reach up to readjust it, mirth flashing in his blue optics.

"Hey, Freddy." The purple rabbit set his guitar to the side, his large magenta eyes honed in on the pizza-shaped clock hanging high up on the wall. "We've got, like, ten minutes. We should start herding the Toys back into their spots." "Yes, we should!" Chica agreed, nodding slowly. Her nod stopped short, however. "Wait...didn't Kyle summon Mari? Is he...is he still awake in there?" "Ooh." Freddy closed his book as softly as he could. "I did not anticipate the Marionette being summoned. Perhaps..." He turned toward Dusty and Riley. "Perhaps you could fetch your friend? The Marionette will retreat back into his box if he is left alone."

"You may call me Mari for short," the puppet added, slowly taking his hand back. He had small hands with long, spidery fingers. Everything about him seemed scary--perhaps a bit too scary for a children's establishment. "It is very nice to meet you, Kyle. But you should be going." He sank down further into his box until just his eyes peeked through the tiny aperture between the lid and the box itself. "Your friends are seeking you."
 
Tia nodded too, giving Fred a smile, "Blue's right, so don't worry okay!"

Dusty chuckled at them, shaking her head, "And I'm just joking, I know you guys are just playing. I'll go get Kyle now before he manages to annoy Mari, somehow." The wolf jumped off the stage, "Riley I would go put your bass away and get back to your post, humans will be here soon and I don't want us to get sent away before we've even started working." The bunny nodded and walked off to put his bass away, speed walking.

Kyle nodded in agreement, "Yeah you're probably right, bye Mari. It was nice meeting you too." He waved to the puppet before walking out of the parts and services room.

And straight into Dusty.

The two fell backwards with a crash, both yelping in surprise, Kyle ended up falling on top of Dusty, successful pinning her, while the wolf squirmed under him, "God damnit Kyle get the hell off of me before I rip your tail off and stuff it down your throat!" Dusty threatened from under the coyote before she pushed him off of her, Kyle let out another yelp of surprise, "Hey, you ain't touching my tail your grouchy bit-OW! Jesus Christ, sorry, sorry ow!" Dusty had cut the coyote off by tugging his ear harshly. He whimpered and squirmed until she let go and walked off.

Riley was already at his post, wide eyed after just watching what had happened, he looked between the wolf and coyote before looking around the room at everybody else. Tia was laughing as she made her way towards the parts and services room, looking at Kyle and Dusty. Mangle crawling on the roof and making some weird glitchy gurgling sound, Riley guessed it was also laughter.

Dusty and Kyle glared at each other, both growling softly.
 
A flurry of musical notes bounced off of the barren pizzeria's walls. "Language, children." That ominous velvety voice echoed out from within the parts and services room. Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, and Chica all stiffened uncomfortably as they shuffled back to their posts.

This calm chiding didn't seem to affect Bonbon or Fred all that much, however. The sky blue rabbit trailed after Tia, dragging his feet all the while. He really didn't want to go back to that room and sit on that disgusting floor any longer. Fred didn't immediately follow them. Instead, he politely waited for Mangle to make her way inside first. Ladies first, after all--wasn't that the gentlemanly thing to do? He distinctly remembered Freddy telling him that once.

"Cut th' chatter." For once, the irritable pirate fox was the one to break the tension. "The adults be comin' back soon. Can' very well be chewin' the cud when they walk through tha' door." Crooning one of his favorite sea shanties to himself, Foxy yanked the crisp curtains shut, obscuring his clean new Cove from view once again. "I agree," Freddy chimed in. At his sides, Bonnie was already standing still, guitar in hand. Chica was in the middle of fussily readjusting her cupcake on its tray. "We will be in serious trouble if we are caught moving around freely after six in the morning."

"You'd better hurry to your spots," Chica warned, sparing a glance at the clock hanging overhead. "Your new programming should tell you where to go. And, um...the adults are probably going to give you guys your tasks tomorrow." "Yeah," Bonnie muttered, moving to scratch insistently at his back before their time ran out. "Hey. Wolf. They probably won't put you to work right away since you're still damaged. You mentioned before that you always had a designated area in the past, right? Well, they're probably gonna build it for you. So until they do, and until you're fixed...you might be put in storage. Or in Pirate Cove." Foxy grunted from somewhere behind the curtains. "Don't ye go touchin' me ship, landlubber!" he snapped loudly.

Just as Foxy finished complaining, the clock struck six with an admittedly annoying little jingle. Freddy readjusted his bow tie one more time. "And that is that. Do not break character during the daytime hours unless there is an emergency." He chuckled darkly. "And...don't forget to smile for the children."

Twenty minutes passed before the adults started arriving. The cleaning crew was first on the scene. They were left, moaning and complaining, to clean up the mess Chica made in the kitchen and the main dining hall. At least there wasn't any visible carnage for them to mop up this time around. Other employees arrived in droves after that. There was an aging mechanic among them. He went straight for the main stage first...but he didn't even work on Bonnie's malfunctioning ear, or Chica's stiff joints. He just gave them a once-over for any serious problems, as if he didn't really care, and then moved on. Other employees helped him haul the seemingly deactivated Toys out of the back room. He spent a bit more time on them, giving them a proper scrubbing (to Bonbon's delight) and even fetched their props for them. At the last minute, however, they moved Tia to the floor and replaced her with Riley. The mechanic didn't bother reprogramming her--in his mind, it was far too much work. Instead, he left a list of her new waitress duties for her to read.

It seemed as if the management was finally debating allowing the animatronics to interact directly with children again. They were considering bringing Foxy back, after all. Foxy's entire show depended on him being able to interact directly with children, so of course they wanted to take baby steps. And seeing as there were never any complaints about Tia hurting a human being and there were plenty of complaints about Foxy, they were giving Tia a trial run first. The resident animatronics, save for Foxy, all regarded her with distinctly jealous looks. They desperately missed working with children like that. At the last moment, the mechanic bestowed a similar list upon Kyle, who was meant to be her partner in crime for this task.

As far as Mangle was concerned...the mechanic took one look at her and groaned, rolling his eyes. He wouldn't even touch her. Instead, he ordered some of the employees to carefully wheel her into Pirate Cove and just leave her there. Foxy damn near broke character right there and then, and his animalistic growling could be heard from all corners of the main dining room. He wanted a piece of that lazy mechanic! To no one's surprise, the Marionette's box was left in the parts and services room...but an employee disappeared inside, probably tasked with repainting it. The puppet within was hoping he would be ready to perform again by tomorrow.

It wouldn't be very long, now, before the doors opened. Hopefully, that would be enough time for everyone to settle into their new roles.
 
Dusty gave a small hum, "Wouldn't think of it Foxy." She muttered before going still, Riley and Kyle doing the same.

As humans began entering Dusty felt nervousness creep over her form, she didn't like being surrounded by them, it annoyed her and made her feel anxious. But she couldn't break character. She was moved from her place out in the open into Pirate's Cove along with Mangle, Foxy's growling made her flinch but she didn't show much more of a reaction. Of course they would put her in here. And of course the lazy mechanic wouldn't even bother with Mangle, that irked her. What annoyed her even more was the fact that the mechanic had just looked at her bandages and groaned.

But she didn't break character.

No matter how much she wanted to take a bite out of that lazy bastard.

Tia almost did break character, she could have jumped for joy right then and there. But she didn't. She did glance over at Kyle though, who had his head hung slightly to give him the appearance of being turned off. She then glanced at Riley out of the corner of her eye, he had his bass and was twitching slightly, obviously nervous, though none of the humans noticed.

She then looked at her cupcake and smiled ever so slightly, it would be fun being around children again.

A group of humans had marked off a section of the pizzaria with tape, about the same size of Foxy's cove, they put some cones around it to stop kids from wondering to close and left it like that. Kyle guessed it was where they were going to build Dusty's corner. Then somebody gave him some new waiter programming and left.

The adults seemed to leave, the day guard came in and vanished off to the office, glancing at the animatronics with a frown as she went.

Then the doors were open for business again, it didn't take too long for children and parents to come in, it seemed no matter how many times this place got shut down people would always come back.
 
(( I sincerely apologize for any delays in posting. I've been terribly sick as of late. D': ))


The vast majority of the visitors made a beeline for the main stage, where the older animatronics were stationed. After all, these were the characters they were most familiar with. It was some time before small groups of them began gravitating toward the stage where the two Toys and Riley were located, wide-eyed with curiosity. A few of the adults, lugging around their overly-enthusiastic children, clearly recognized Bonbon and Fred, explaining to confused parents that these animatronics used to be the star attractions in a much older restaurant. The band on the main stage didn't miss a beat. They were far too used to entertaining children to stutter and choke now.

But Fred and Bonbon were twenty years out of practice, even if they didn't quite realize it. And now they had a fresh face to deal with--how in the world were they going to integrate Riley into their act? Fred nearly broke character, the old stage fright he believed that he quashed years ago threatening to rear its hideous head. Thankfully, the ever-resourceful Bonbon took the bull by the horns. He happily greeted the gathered crowd, introducing himself and Fred first. The bear's nervousness seemed to fade now that his cohort was taking control--he tipped his hat contently to the kids. The sky blue rabbit introduced Riley as a new addition to their band. Directly afterward, he loudly declared that they would be playing a few simple children's songs. Timeless and easy-to-play classics.

Seeing as he had yet to start his music lessons with Riley, Bonbon figured that they would take it easy today.

The guests had no intention of going easy on Tia or Kyle on their first day working the floor, either. Children were either bratty or pleasant--there was no in-between. And they were all grabby, poking and prodding at both the animatronic wait staff and the human wait staff. Some of the adults were polite, but most of them seemed to think that they were speaking to an automated food-fetching machine, and they were horrifically rude. So rude, in fact, that every once in a while a human employee stepped in to warn them to treat the animatronics with respect or take their kids and get out.

Once the activity really began to pick up, Foxy stirred within Pirate Cove, luminous optics flickering on and ears twitching curiously. The decrepit pirate had been out of order and left to sit for so very long that his most basic programming was now corrupted. Unlike most of the others, he was able to freely move about during the daytime without any resistance from his programming. Once the fox determined that the hubbub in the pizzeria was loud enough to drown out some soft noises, he shook himself off--a few worrying clanging sounds echoed from his damaged endoskeleton as he did this.

Foxy carefully climbed down from his ship, his ears pricked as high as they would go. If he even thought a human was going to trespass in his territory, he would immediately drop and play possum. But for now...he figured he might as well entertain himself. He made a beeline for the back of the Cove, where several dusty boxes were haphazardly stacked. There were some rustling sounds...and then Foxy emerged with a few books. He plopped himself down in the treasure trove, allowing the books to spill out of his arms. He beckoned to both Mangle and Dusty, welcoming them to join him if they could muster up the strength to ignore their programming as well.

There were five books in all. Three were well-worn children's picture books. There was also a book of pictures of landmarks, rivers, cities, and other scenery from all around the world. Underneath that was a comically massive children's book about pirates. The very last book was a fascinating tome about Ireland--Irish places, customs, folklore, and landmarks. This book about Ireland was the one Foxy snatched up. He began reading and studying the pictures intently, his ears still raised high and listening carefully for potential threats.
 
All the people, all the children, it kind of intimidated Riley, he hadn't been at work in a restaurant for years now, but he knew what to do and started playing when Bonbon and Fred did, while he did make a few mistakes (it's been so long since he's heard these songs can you blame him?) they weren't that noticeable and the children seemed to love the show regardless. The little ones were jumping and dancing around, some singing along with songs if they knew them. It was all quite adorable.

Kyle soon decided that as annoying as the human's were he wasn't going to do anything out of order, he did enjoy being near them again and the occasional child would pet him instead of poke, which just made his non-existent heart swell. Tia seemed to be enjoying it as well, walking around with a skip in her step and talking to the children happily.

Dusty was able to ignore her programming easily, it was almost as if as if she didn't even have it with how easily she made her way over to foxy, stopping to look over at Mangle and let out a soft sound. That slight encourgment was all the fox needed to finally move over, crawling along over to the books while Dusty walked a little further behind. She sat down and picked up and children's book before scooting a little further away from the captain and Mangle, who had made herself comfy next to Foxy while she read his book along with him.

Dusty almost started reading out loud, her programming nearly getting the better of her, but she kept her muzzle firmly shut as she read, her arms twitching occasionally.
 
As if she hadn't been gone for two whole decades, Foxy automatically scooted closer to his Toy counterpart and opened the book a little bit more to make it much easier for her to see the words. Over the years, the aging crimson fox had grown to be even more of a loner than he was in his prime. Only Bonnie, his best friend, spent time with him on a regular basis. Foxy was very much used to having his own designated space, and a lot of personal space. He could be awfully territorial, especially when it came to Pirate Cove. When the Toys were built, they were originally hostile to their predecessors and vice-versa. Foxy was the only one who made an effort with them, and it was solely because of Mangle. He was the reason they were all on relatively decent terms now!

Foxy spent the rest of the day poring over that single book. Apparently, he was exceptionally fascinated by the sights and lore of Ireland, and anything else having to do with said country. Several times he could be heard mumbling wistfully under his breath, wishing that he could go back there...which, peculiarly, meant that he must have been there at least once in his life. But how was that even possible...?

There was only one intruder to the Cove that day. It was the resident mechanic, here at the request of the company. Foxy was prepared for him--the second he heard footsteps drawing a little too close to his cordoned-off Cove, the decrepit pirate immediately warned the others and collapsed into a heap. The mechanic, once inside the Cove, completely ignored both Dusty and Mangle. Instead, with a great deal of irritation and reluctance, he knelt down and gave Foxy a once-over. Foxy was once a massive source of income for the company before he was forced into an early retirement...so of course they wanted to work on getting him up and running first. The mechanic did no actual work--instead he pored over every inch of the seemingly deactivated fox and scribbled a number of different things down in a notepad. Whatever he was scribbling, it took up two pages front and back!

By nine in the evening, activity in the pizzeria had really begun to die down. The restaurant closed its doors at nine-thirty. The cleaning crew came charging in a mere two minutes after closing. They were finished twenty minutes before midnight. Bonnie seemed particularly antsy, his vibrant magenta eyes glowering at every adult that passed by him. He wanted off of that stage right then and there. Blu was no better, scowling and staring insistently at the overhead clock. Foxy occasionally peeked out from Pirate Cove, apparently quite nosy about what the cleaning crew was doing.
 
Dusty stuck to herself, and over time had shifted further away from Mangle and Foxy and ended up just staring at the wall, when the mechanic came in though she slumped back against it but kept a close eye on what he was doing.

Time ticked by, everybody seemed to be growing irritated at the humans and Dusty was no different but she didn't really move from the corner she had claimed as her own, not even when Mangle came over to her and sat with her for awhile. Eventually Dusty did stand up and trudge over to the curtain, "What are they doing?" The wolf growled under her breath, peaking out the curtains before walking off and standing off to the side.

One of the cleaning crew was chatting idly with another one about the area that would soon be 'Dusty's Corner' and it looked like they were getting ready to construct it, taking down notes and somebody even brought out the old banner, but obviously they would have to be insane to stay here over night. One of them exited the room briefly but came back pushing the same metal thing that Dusty, Kyle and Riley were brought in on, the wheels rattling.

Riley perked up from his spot on the stage as the clock inched closure to twelve and everybody finally exited the building, he blinked a few times as his eyes came into focus in what the cleaning crew had brought in.

"No bloody way, Dusty get out here!" Kyle made his way over to the new animatronic. It looked to be a little taller then the children that came in, it was a wolf covered in white fur with a red collar around it's neck, a golden tag read Runt in curvy writing.

Riley jumped off the stage and made his way over to the smaller animatronic as they shifted, slowly waking up. Two green eyes peered up at Kyle and Riley, Runt walked forward a bit and looked around, her tail swishing behind her.

"What happened? Where 'm I?" She peered up at the taller animatronics, perking up when Dusty exited Pirate Cove, "Dusty!"

The grey wolf blinked in surprise before smiling, her tail started wagging instantly, "Runt!?" She darted over to the younger wolf, who instantly attacked her with a big hug, although she was only tall enough to hug Dusty's legs. The older animatronic grinned and bent down so she could hug the white wolf properly.

"Big sis! I missed you, so, so, sooo much when ta humans took you away, but now I found you again and 'm not gon' loose you again." The wolf pup leaned u to nuzzle her 'big sister' before turning towards the other animatronics and blinking in surprise, "Uh, Ry-Ry where are we?" She looked over at Riley who gave a nervous grin.

"Well, uh, where in our new home... I guess... Why don't you introduce yourself?" Riley jerked his head back to the others and Runt nodded before skipping towards them slightly.

"Hiya! My name 's Runt, and 'm seven years old!" She held out her arms and stuck up at eight of her fingers, only to frown and correct herself so she had seven held out, "I think."

Tia cupped her hands together and cooed, "A'www! Isn't she just the cutest!"
 
"Don' know," Foxy grunted in his rough, salty voice. If it was even possible, he sounded angrier and saltier than usual. "Prob'ly chit-chattin' and spreadin' the latest scandal aroun', if this Cap'n had ta guess. Wish they'd just get outta here already. Havin' ta deal with a nigh' guard is bad enough withou' these landlubbers lingerin' aroun' an' gossipin'." An ear twitched and he peered over his shoulder, deliberately meeting the wolf's gaze with his own vibrant golden optics. "Freddy migh' have a talk with the lot of ye abou' nigh' guards when he gets a chance. We ain' had one at this new place jus' yet...but aye, one'll rear its ugly head sooner or later."

He sounded shockingly malicious. None of these animatronics seemed to care much for adults...but why were night guards despised so much?

The second the clock struck twelve, both rabbits were instantly off of their stages. Blu rocketed off the Toys' stage, moving at lightning speed. He bolted across the main room and down the hallway that contained the manager's office and the employee break room, apparently quite eager about something. Bonnie was quick to follow him--the two of them must have been on the same page tonight. Foxy instantly pulled the curtains that hid Pirate Cove from view wide open, shaking himself off eagerly. Disturbing clanging and grinding sounds erupted from his dilapidated body as he did this. He glanced off in the direction the two bunnies fled to, expression wistful, but he lingered behind for a moment, too curious about the situation at hand to go after them.

Freddy was clearly disappointed in Bonnie and Blu for instantly running off, but he couldn't blame them. It was Thursday, after all. And even after all of this time, the show Blu was so desperate to see was actually still running at the same time--Bonnie and Foxy typically watched the midnight rerun of it every single week, and now that Blu was back the diminutive rabbit was sure to join them. The bear carefully stepped down from his place on stage, bowing his head politely as a greeting. "Hello there. My name is Freddy, and this is my establishment. The two rabbits that just ran off are Bonnie, the taller one, and Bonbon, the smaller one. There is also a puppet, the Marionette, in a small box in the Parts and Services room."

Chica, just like her Toy counterpart, was there in a flash and instantly all over the new addition. "How cute are you!" she gushed, hands pressed to her cheeks and hot pink optics shimmering with glee. She was obviously smitten with Runt's adorable appearance. Fred instinctively shuffled his way over to Freddy. He wasn't even comfortable with the previous newcomers yet, and this sudden and unexpected addition made him terribly uneasy.

Foxy hesitated, gaze still glued to that minuscule hallway. "...I be Cap'n Foxy, the most feared pirate ta ev'r sail the seven seas! An'...I've got ta go now." Neither Bonnie nor Blu's speed could even compare to Foxy. In less than three seconds he managed to careen off of the Pirate Cove stage and, with loud clunking footsteps, barrel his way across the main room and into that tiny hallway.

Chica watched him go, looking rather confused...and then she made a humming noise and turned her gaze on Freddy. "It's Thursday, isn't it?" Freddy nodded sagely, a hint of amusement flashing in his ocean blue optics.

"It is, indeed. I apologize," he murmured, apparently addressing Runt. "On Mondays and Thursdays, a professional wrestling program is on television, and Foxy, Bonnie, and Blu love professional wrestling. They typically watch these programs on the small television in the employee break room."
 
Kyle ended up huffing and shaking his head slightly before sneaking off to the Parts and Services room, he felt like talking to the Marionette again, since Freddy had mentioned him. Dusty shot him and disapproving glare but was too focused on Runt to really try to stop him.

Mangle crawled out of the cove, looking around at everybody before making her way over to the group.

"That would explain why Bonbon seemed so eager to get off the stage then..." Runt muttered before he shook his head slightly. Runt was grinning up at Tia and Chica, giggling before she rocked back on fourth on her feet.

"Dusty! Look! T'ey think 'm adorable!" Runt cheered to her self before springing forward to give both of the chickens a hug, Tia cooed and hugged her back giggling as the white wolf pup shifted away from them to approach Mangle, who looked over at Freddy nervously, "Hi! What's your name? Mine 's Runt!"

"M-Mangl-e..." Runt grinned at her and gave the white fox a hug, well, gave her head a hug before making her way over to Freddy and Fred. Dusty chuckled, it was so like her to check on everybody, she was just too curious. Runt practically beamed up at Freddy before turning her attention to Fred, her tail wagging slightly as her ears twitched.

"Alright cutie, don't swarm Fred, he's very shy when he's not used to you." Runt turned and looked at Tia, a pout on her face.

"But I wanna hug him!"

"Runt I'm sure you'll be able to hug Fred later, leave the poor bear alone for now. Don't you have to give Riley his hug first anyway?" Dusty chuckled, but ended up laughing when Runt generally look sad before darting over to Runt and hugging him tightly.

"How could I forget you, Ry-Ry!"
 
This time around, the lid of the box was wide open. Within was a coiled spring and several soft black and white striped pillows, as well as a palm-sized music box squished in one far corner. It was freshly-painted on the outside, snow white with a single thick red stripe and a delightfully lacy bow pinned on the top of the lid. Upon first glance, the entire room was devoid of the Marionette. Of course, these newcomers had no way of knowing just how sneaky Mari truly was...

"Hello there, newcomer."

Just barely visible in a dark corner stood the Marionette in all of his glory. He was five feet, seven inches tall and skinny as a rail. The rest of his body was all black, save for white stripes on his arms and legs and three comically large white buttons that ran down his front. Clutched in his thin arms was a tangled mess of aging gray strings attached to a couple of dark brown wooden bars. His silvery pupils darted from the not-entirely-welcome intruder to the pristine white box in the corner.

"The paint is not yet dry. I would appreciate it if you were to keep your hands far away from my box." Mari was a rather creepy sight, especially for a machine that was built and designed to work with children. His great height and skinny figure only enhanced the creepy factor. Those luminous orbs panned over to rest on the intruder once more. "Do you need something?"

Chica was more than happy to return the hug, apparently thrilled with this new addition to their family. Of course, that was to be expected. She was always friendly, except to adults, and even then all she did was outright ignore them rather than behave in an unfriendly manner.

Predictably, Fred shrank back until Freddy's taller form completely eclipsed him. Freddy shifted a bit, further shielding him from view. He wasn't about to put his hands on Runt--after all, she hadn't done anything wrong. But he was overprotective of his family members, and he wasn't about to put any one of them in a situation that made them truly uncomfortable. He was also relieved that the small animatronic didn't rear up and try to hug him. Freddy did not like to be touched, especially by strangers. Even though Runt was clearly an animatronic and not a human, the rule still applied to her.

From somewhere within the vicinity of that small dead-end hallway, hoots and hollers suddenly erupted. Something must have happened on that wrestling program the rabbits and the fox were so very engrossed in! Chica glanced in that direction, suddenly looking distracted. "I wonder if they want any snacks..."
 
Kyle blinked in surprise, "Oh, hey." His eyes darted over to the box and he hummed, "it does look nice, but I don't really need anything, if you don't want me here then I'll just go, just didn't feel like being around the others." The coyote animatronic shifted from foot to foot as he look around the room.

"Hmm, possibly, isn't that what people normally do? Eat snacks while they watch tv?" Dusty mused out loud, her tail swishing back and fourth behind her. Runt was now frowning over something and it caught Dusty's attention, "Runt, what's wrong?"

The pup pointed at her wrapped up arms, "Your arms! You said you would fix 'em, you promised!" The older animatronic chuckled and shook her head.

"Hey, I'll fiddle with them later alright? You can even watch me if you want to so badly." Runt pouted but nodded and started to look around the room, wandering a bit.

Tia was also now staring down into the hallway, she was similar to Chica is the aspect that she also loved to cook, she wasn't as good as Chica but she still enjoyed it, "Do you think we should ask if they want us to make them something?"
 
The thin animatronic's bright silvery pupils darted from Kyle to the door that led into the main dining hall before snapping back to the intruder's form once again. "To be honest, I do not blame you. It is Thursday, after all, is it not? If I do recall, that is..." Mari lifted his small hands and made large air quotes with his long, spidery fingers, "...wrestling night." He spoke those last two words with a surprising amount of contempt, as if the mere though of wrestling irritated him. "Professional wrestling is not only barbaric, but fake and scripted as well. To this day, I still fail to understand why they find it so appealing."

With a soft grunt, the old puppet sank down into a sitting position in the corner, fingers absently toying with the tangled mess of strings now resting in his lap. "If company is what you are seeking, I suppose I could provide it. I will say, though..." He frowned, apparently struggling to untangle those fragile strings. They were terribly knotted, as if they hadn't been tended to in a long time. "I...am not the most sociable of creatures. I may bore you to death."

With so many unfamiliar faces around him, Fred's nerves only seemed to be fraying more and more with each passing moment. Freddy noticed this immediately. He turned slightly and reached out with one arm, patting his younger counterpart on the shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. "Shall we exchange ideas? About what songs and acts we should perform in the following days, of course." the taller bear proposed, much to Fred's delight. "Yes!" The skittish bear instantly pounced on the idea. As subtly as possible, Freddy slid an arm around Fred's shoulders and began to lead him away...but then he stopped, peering over his shoulder. His ocean blue optics came to rest on Dusty...and then on Mangle.

"Maybe you ought to take a look at Mangle while Foxy is distracted," he suggested, calm as ever. Foxy had good intentions, and he certainly meant well...but Mangle was in desperate need of repair, and his overprotective nature would only hinder the process. "Perhaps make a list of what ails her."

Chica perked up in an instant, turning to beam at her Toy counterpart. "Maybe we should just whip up a supreme pizza! They'll enjoy that. It's been so long since we've actually cooked together," she gushed, happily leading the way toward the kitchen. "I'm looking forward to it! I can give you the grand tour of the kitchen, too. It's a bit fancier than the one you were used to!"
 
((I haven't read through it so it might not make sense, I'll edit it later))


Kyle chuckled but sat down in front of the puppet, "I highly doubt you'll bore me in the slightest, it's either be in here with a calm person or be out there will an overactive wolf pup. Don't het me wrong, I love Runt to pieces but sometimes she can be a bit... Much..." The coyote shook his head before focusing on the tangle of wires in Mari's long arms.

"That looks like it's gonna be a pain to unravel, you wouldn't want some help would you?" He asked carefully, shifting his sitting position slightly.

Dusty dragged her Cyan eyes over to Mangle before giving a slight nod, "I wouldn't be able to get to work on fixing her tonight anyway, she's gonna need an entirely new body and I couldn't see the right materials for that in parts and service. But, taking notes and maybe getting to start of removing some extra parts shouldn't be too bad of a problem." The wolf gave a curt nod and looked over at Mangle, "Would you be okay with that?" The fox nodded and Dusty gave a curt nod.

"Riley, why don't you show Runt around?" The dwarf rabbit nodded and set off, the wolf pup on his heels and bouncing excitedly.

Tia giggled and jumped a little on the spot, "OoOoOoOoOh~ Let's get to work! It's been soooo long since I've had the chance to cook anything and pizza is one of my favourite things to make!"
 
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